Refugee Hearts
by StreakingHerculobus
Summary: A civilian homemaker by day and the dreaded BK-201 by night Hei tries to adjust to his new life with Yin, but his job with Section 3 complicates things. Follows the conclusion of the second season. Misaki x November, Hei x Yin, past-Hei x Amber. Contains flashbacks to Heaven's War.


**_August 2, 2028_**

_He wasn't a fighter. Mina could see that now. He put on a good show. No other messier code was more feared than BK-201. Truly a grim reaper with no second thoughts about snapping a person's neck. Yet underneath the hardened exterior, she saw a soul burdened by the constant killing. Between the sag of his shoulders and the sad exhale, he possessed his fair share of sorrows. It almost made Mina regret what she was about to say next. "We just got word you're coming with us." _

_Hei lifted his head and Mina tensed for a fight. But he merely nodded in acquiescence. It was the logical thing to do. Hanging on to the girl, his chances of escaping were slim to none. And unlike the time in the field Mina was ready for his falcon kick. _

_Cradling Yin in his arms he followed the Section 3 agent back to the van where his fate awaited him in the hands of law enforcement._

_**December 21, 2023  
**_

Hei woke up with a splitting headache hands bound to the ceiling and his toes barely touching the floor. He could already feel the strain from being hung up like that for who knows how long. His commander stood before him, the grey beard making him look as serious as ever.

"In one week you are going to be sent on a communications mission. You're the only agent suited for this type of assignment. Contractors as you know have very loose tongues. They'll give away anything to save their useless hides. Of course this means that you'll have to undergo some training about how to resist interrogation. So Hei, welcome to your worst nightmare."

A left hook followed by kick in the chest had Hei gasping for air. Then another left hook. To say the least his headache had gotten worse. Hei spit a gob of blood and looked his commander in the eye still at a loss of why this was occurring.

"No, you never look them in the eye. It communicates defiance. And defiant people get killed faster." To emphasize his point his commander kicked him in the shins so hard Hei about cried out. From that point on Hei kept his eyes on the ground.

"Now to begin. There are many types of interrogation methods, some more effective than others. And while electricity generally takes a little longer to make people crack, it s sufficient." He removed a battery from his pack and played with the couple of metal conductors. "This is going to hurt you more than it hurts me."

Three hours later, Hei was deposited half conscious on one of the two cots in his and his sister's room. Bai _seemed_ concerned. Hei really didn't know if his sister still cared for him in a sibling manner. If she was even capable. Nonetheless she sat at the foot of his bed and watched to make sure his condition wouldn't deteriorate. "What happened?"

Hei blinked away the rest of the daze. "Water," he croaked. Bai nodded and left the room to get some water. Amber, having just heard of what he had been forced to go through, brushed past Bai going out the door. "Hei, are you alright?"

"Why does it matter to you?" Hei croaked.

Amber took in his overall appearance. Burns on both arms and she would bet they were more beneath his shirt. "Let me see. She bent down to lift up his tee, but his hand caught hers just before she reached the hem.

"Don't," Hei warned.

"You should let me see. I can go get help." Amber scooted a little to the side to let Bai hand the bottled water to Hei. Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, Amber tore back the curtain and almost gasped at what lay beneath. "Hei, you need medical attention now."

Enraged, Hei backhand Amber across the floor. Glaring at her form, he gritted, "Stop acting like you care." He stood, and though a little wobbly left the room, leaving Bai and Amber behind.

The green aired contractor rubbed the side of her face, not for the first time stunned by Hei's actions. Bai didn't say anything. She just lay back down on her cot in order to get some more sleep.

_**August 3, 2028**_

"It's too dangerous. What you have proposed. You don't understand how hot of a target I am. So many times you have asked me about who exactly I work for, which I can't tell you. But know that they are the only reason I can stay in one place for more than a week." Hei glowered. Cuffed to a chair inside an interrogation cell, he met the eyes of the former Section Chief Kirihara. In them he detected a sense of self-righteousness touched off by strong ideals, yet balanced off by a great deal of concern for the weak. The perfect police officer. He imagined if things hadn't turned out the way they did, if his sister hadn't undergone that transformation, if he hadn't agreed to accompany the soldiers who had come to take them away, then she might have been a woman he would've respected. He huffed. That single thought was the closest thing to a compliment he offered in years.

"You don't have many options Hei. Pandora is pressuring the Japanese government as we speak. They want you! More than that, they want _her. _Are you beginning to grasp the seriousness of your situation?"

Hei dropped his gaze, and dark bangs hid his darkened expression. Behind his back his hands strained against the steel.

"If we turn you over to a civilian court, which I am fully prepared and obligated to do as an officer of the law, then you will face thirty-six independent counts of murder." No reaction. Misaki played with the idea of taking it one step further. It was a gamble, but right now they needed a breakthrough. "Yin would be tried as an accomplice."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Hei had lunged, a snarl escaping from his lips and he watched her with murder in his eyes flinch at the sudden commotion. The plastic chair squeaked against the rubber floor, and Misaki had to remind herself that he was perfectly restrained.

_["Interesting," a wiry man with glasses commented behind the one way mirror. "The subject does appear to be genuinely concerned for a person besides himself."_

_"It's not as uncommon as you might think, Doctor," Mina instructed him. "You'd be surprised how many traits contractors pick up from humans. It's inevitable."_

_"Indeed, that has been a central focus of my research. Do contractors simply fall into their old habits from when they were human, or do they relearn from observation emotions such as compassion and sympathy?"] _

"Listen Li-I mean Hei. Whichever. I don't want to do any of this stuff. But without cooperation, we'll have no choice. We've handed contractors over to Pandora before. They never come out. And personally, I have no desire to see you executed. So work with us. You're making this hard on me. We were friends once, right?"

"I told you Li Shengshun no longer exists. The sooner you realize this, the sooner you'll see the futility of this conversation."

"No, but Lee Shang does exist!" She pounded her fist on the table "And I'm counting on him to make the right decision."

Hei jerked at the sound of what his parents had chosen to call him when he was born. "How did you find that name?"

Misaki straightened her back and placed a hand on her hip. At last a tiny crack in his otherwise disaffected exterior. Now that she had an advantage, it was time to lay it on thick. "Did you mean it a year ago when you said you believed contractors and humans could work together? That one day the old stars could come back? Well now is your chance to prove it! Come on, Hei. Do the right thing."

"I've changed my mind. After seeing what happened with Yin I realize now that contractors can never live in peace with humans. They will never be _equal_ with humans. I don't know why back then I expected any thing other." That was all he was going to say. Hei resigned himself to stare at the floor, avoiding Misaki's disappointed gaze.

Seeing that he was done talking, Misaki inwardly groaned and left the room. She felt betrayed and for a moment she was tempted to agree with him. Not about whether contractors and human can live together. But about the heresy which said that Li Shengshun no longer existed. While it was true the person in that cell was a very different man, she didn't allow herself to believe that Li was completely gone.

In the observation booth, she discussed with the rest of the team what had taken place. "So what do you guys think? He seems pretty unmoved."

"This line of questioning is pointless," Mina informed them. "Any ordinary contractor would have already given in to your demands. But we all know he's no ordinary contractor. He has a plan."

Saito raised an eyebrow. "You're saying he plans to rescue his companion and escape despite the extremely personalized security measures in place?"

"Of course," Mina replied. "That is the only logical reason. My suggestion is to force him to act sooner rather than later when the issue will be out of our hands. Stage a transport so to speak. Except when he makes his move, we'll be ready for him."

"That's a possible solution. However, we still hold one item over his head," Misaki reminded them. "The doll. We need to get to her before we can ever get to him. How is she holding up right now, Doctor?"

"Stable. Her behavior is very doll-like, as expected, though I had hoped there would be something more to this one. What makes her so special to BK-201? That is the question. Answer that and I think you'll be able to get him to do whatever you want."

"All that sounds very good," Saito said, "but it doesn't address why he is being so defiant in the first place. Why not give in now and escape later when he has better chances? Contractors are extremely effective at deceit. We would not know if he was being sincere or not."

"Because of the tracker." Misaki brushed her hair back. "If he agreed to work with us, while an electronic tracker would not last on him, the doll is a different story. We would always being able to track his movements as long as he stayed with her."

"I see," Saito cupped his chin. "I'm going back to the office to check up on the latest. Maybe make a few phone calls and see what is going on upstairs." He exchanged farewells and left for the elevator.

Misaki looked through the glass. "I'm going back in there and letting him know his 'fate'. I hope this works, Hazuki. It might just push him over the edge."

"No, it won't. He's looking forward to being moved. Just let it slip that he will be transported with Yin, and he will cooperate. Trust me."

Misaki nodded,and following Mina out the room went the other way, using her key card to activate the sliding door. Hei looked up, looking bored. "Bad news, Hei. I truly am sorry to say this, but it's been decided you're going to Pandora. You and Yin will be moved tomorrow morning at 8 AM sharp." Misaki waited for his reaction, but finding none, she turned around and prepared to exit. "Just remember, we gave you a chance."

xXxXx**  
**

Yin sat up straight, proper as ever, the result of her upbringing. Mina coolly watched from the other side of the table. In a much nicer holding cell, with wood floors, a couple pieces of furniture, and a refrigerator, she was not as high a flight risk as BK-201. Her blindness coupled with her inability to think independently ensured her captivity. "So," Misaki began. "Hei hasn't relented. As of right now, you two will be sent to Pandora. Once there I imagine all sorts of unethical experiments will be carried out. Is this what you want?"

No reply. It was a far-fetched question in the first place. Dolls weren't supposed to have personal desires. Yet Misaki saw some of the same things Bk-201 no doubt saw in Yin. She was different. She had evolved. Just how much was hard to say. "Is this what you want for Hei?" A spark. For a second, Mina had seen something flash across her eyes, and the straight line of her mouth might have quivered infinitesimally. "Listen you have to talk to him. Convince him to see reason. He's throwing his and your life away. Right here you two have a chance. You can be together. No more running. You'll be making a positive difference. What more could you ask for?"

Yin's hand curled around the tip of her dress. It's true. All she did want was to stop running. To finally relax. To witness Hei when he's not wound up from fighting. For him to have time to pay attention to her. Yet she knew Hei only had the best intentions.

She probably could convince him accept their offer. Lay on the guilt. She wasn't stupid. She saw the amount of influence she wielded in his life. After losing so many other people close to him, he probably doesn't want to take any chances with the last. Yet she wouldn't betray him like that. She didn't know what exactly compelled her to stick with his decision (it seemed awfully selfish of him) but if he had decided on a course of action, she would not contradict him.

"So what is your answer."

"No."


End file.
